


Changes

by Historical_Fangirl



Series: Crutchie and Jennie [8]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Arguing, F/M, Factories, Family Drama, Married Life, Romance, Strikes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-01-10 23:45:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18418376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Historical_Fangirl/pseuds/Historical_Fangirl
Summary: Crutchie and Jennie's life together couldn't stay care-free and blissful forever, no matter how much they wish it would.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here is my new story! There's a bit of a gap in between this story and my last one, Faith is now about to turn 3 and Crutchie and Jennie are both 25. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. It's a little more dramatic than previous ones since I haven't done very much with drama lately and I wanted to explore that.

_ October 1909 _

 

It was rather late at night when Jennie finally heard Crutchie come in the door. She had already put Faith to bed and the lamps were lighted, enveloping the parlor in a soft orange glow.

 

“There you are.” Jennie smiled softly at Crutchie when he entered the room. “I was getting worried.”   
  


“Sorry. Had to work late tonight, one of the other guys was out,” Crutchie said, dropping onto the sofa with a tired grunt and running a hand through his hair.

 

“That’s fine,” Jennie replied, standing up. “I saved you some dinner, let me go get it.”   
  


“No, don’t bother.” Crutchie shook his head. “I ain’t hungry. Think I’m just gonna go to bed, get an early night.”

 

“You’re not hungry?” Jennie frowned, walking over to where Crutchie was sitting and pressing a gentle hand to his forehead. “You don’t feel warm. Do you think you’re coming down with something?”

 

“I feel fine, Jennie,” Crutchie insisted, twisting away from her touch. “Just tired. Good night.”

 

Jennie pulled away at Crutchie’s unexpectedly hard tone and watched him walk towards their bedroom slowly, looking much older than his 25 years. “Good night, Charlie,” she called after him softly.

 

The bedroom door shut with a click.

 

~

 

Crutchie’s odd behavior that night didn’t leave Jennie’s mind, but he seemed intent on ignoring it. Over the course of the next week, he woke up early, went to work all day, and came home late at night. Jennie hardly saw him, which of course made her worry even more.

 

_I’m sure it’s nothing._ She tried to reassure herself as she waited for him to come home one evening. _Work is just keeping him busy._ _His boss has always been quite demanding…_ Suddenly Jennie’s train of thought came to a screeching halt.

 

Crutchie always brought home his paycheck every week, and carefully put it in the top drawer of their dresser. Then, after church on Sunday, she and Faith would head home to make lunch and he would stop at the bank to pay the rent and deposit what was left of it in their account.  _ But last week… I didn’t see him with the check _ Jennie suddenly realized.  _ He went to the bank, at least I  _ think  _ he did. But not with the check. _

 

Jennie’s heart began to thud loudly as she came to this conclusion. What on Earth was going on? She couldn’t think of any reason for Crutchie to hide it from her, and he was well aware that they needed it for the rent and groceries and things like that. They weren’t exactly wealthy people.

 

Suddenly, Jennie heard the key turn in the lock. The door opened, and she heard the familiar click of her husband’s crutch. She gulped. There was nothing else for it- she’d have to confront him.

 

~

 

Crutchie sighed as he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. He was exhausted from having walked around the city all day and wanted nothing more than to see Jennie and Faith and go to bed. He took his coat off and then walked towards the parlor, intending to collapse onto the sofa and let its softness consume him.

 

When Crutchie entered the parlor, however. Jennie was there waiting for him. There was nothing so unusual in this, except for the fact that instead of reading or sewing like she normally did Jennie was sitting in her chair staring at him, her posture stiff and straight.

 

“Jennie?” Crutchie asked as he settled himself on the sofa (though with less relief than had become usual in the past week and a half). “What’s wrong?”

 

“I was hoping you could tell me that, Charlie,” Jennie said, and Crutchie winced at her tone. It was soft and quiet and trusting, and that hurt him more than if she had yelled and screamed at him.

 

“I- I don’t know what you mean,” Crutchie stammered, trying to play dumb in a last desperate attempt to avoid this conversation.

 

“Where is it, Charlie?”

 

“Where’s what?”

 

“Charlie,” Jennie’s tone had become impatient. “I’m not an idiot. I noticed. Where is your paycheck?”

 

“Oh.” Crutchie lowered his head, twisting his hands together anxiously. “That.”

 

“Yes. That.” Jennie sighed. “Just tell me. Where is it?”

 

Crutchie was silent for a minute before speaking. “Gone.”

 

“Gone where?” Jennie asked, her heart beginning to jump once again. “Do you mean you spent it?”

 

“No.” Crutchie shook his head. “Never got it.”

 

“You- what do you mean? What are you saying?”

 

“I lost my job, Jennie.” Crutchie finally looked up at her, and she could see that his eyes had filled with tears. “I got fired.”

 

Jennie’s eyes widened and she looked away from Crutchie for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I- when?”

 

“Last Monday,” Crutchie mumbled.

 

“Almost two weeks ago.” Jennie waited for Crutchie to nod, then she continued. “Almost two weeks ago, and you didn’t tell me.”

 

“I was gonna tell ya!” Crutchie protested.

 

“But you didn’t.” Jennie shook her head, disappointment evident in her voice. “So what have you been doing this whole time? When I thought you were at work?”

 

Crutchie looked down at his hands again and shrugged. “Lookin’ for work. I musta been all over the city twice by now, but no luck.” He chuckled bitterly. “Thought about tryin’ to sell a few papes, but I think I’m a few years too old for that.”

 

Jennie didn’t laugh. “How did we pay this month’s rent?”

 

Crutchie froze. He hesitated. “With our… savings.”

 

“What savings?” Jennie asked, anger finally beginning to creep into the edges of her voice.

 

“I… well… Faith’s savings,” Crutchie finally stammered.

 

Jennie’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Let me see if I have this right. You lost your job almost two weeks ago. You didn’t tell me. You went around acting like nothing had happened and deliberately deceived me. And then you took from our savings for Faith’s future and used it to pay our rent because there was no money left anywhere else.” At this last statement, the venom in Jennie’s voice became fully audible. About a year after Faith had been born she and Crutchie had begun to put a little bit by every month, intending to use those savings to send Faith to a good school when the time came. Now, a large portion of that money was gone.

 

“I- I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Jennie.” Crutchie’s voice had taken on a desperate tone. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, or Faith.”

 

Jennie took a deep breath and shook her head. “I don’t care what you meant to do. I care what you did. And what you did was hurt me, and Faith.” Jennie looked at Crutchie with betrayal in her eyes. “If we can’t be honest with each other, then what’s the point of this?”

 

Crutchie opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. He looked like a fish out of water, gasping for air.

 

Jennie stood up, and Crutchie stood too. She put a hand up to stop him. “Don’t. Please, I want to be alone.”

 

“But shouldn’t we-”

 

“Charles. Enough.”

 

Crutchie flinched, feeling as though Jennie had slapped him. In all their years together, she had  _ never  _ called him anything other than Charlie. Until now, that is.

 

Jennie went to the front hall and took her coat off of the hook next to Crutchie’s, slipping it on as she pulled the door open. “I’m going out. I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.”

 

Crutchie nodded, even though she was facing away from him. “Okay.”

 

The front door shut with a thud.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Faith is a little more present in it as well, since she's old enough to talk and run around and have a personality and everything.

Jennie wasn’t quite sure where she was going when she left the apartment, she just knew that she needed to get out and think. The image of Crutchie’s face, remorseful and ashamed, flashed across her mind but Jennie quickly pushed it away. She couldn’t think about his feelings, not when her own were so complicated.

 

After walking for what felt like ages, Jennie found herself standing outside her parent’s apartment building. Sighing heavily, she sat down on the stone steps outside and rested her head on her hands. She guessed it was about 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning, judging from the fact that no one was about. The streets were empty and silent, creating an almost eerie scene as Jennie mulled over what she should do.

 

Clearly, none of this was Crutchie’s fault. Jennie knew he would never do anything to jeopardize his position, so the company must have been making cutbacks to their staff if he had been fired. And yes, he had lied to her about it, but Jennie could understand and forgive Crutchie for that. He was a proud man, it was one of his strongest traits and it was often something Jennie admired in him. She wasn’t surprised that he had tried to keep this from her, not once she really thought about it.

 

_ The question is, what to do about money?  _ Jennie thought. She loved and believed in Crutchie very much, but she wasn’t sure how long it would take him to find another job. And in the meantime, they needed a steady source of income. She was unwilling to take more money from Faith’s savings, and those would run out soon in any case. Jennie glanced over her shoulder, briefly considering asking her parents for a loan, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head. She didn’t think her parents could afford it, and even if they could she wasn’t sure she could ask them for charity like that.

 

_ Perhaps a factory job. _ The factories were almost always hiring, especially younger women, and the pay was enough to keep them from starving on the street.  _ Yes, that could work. _

 

A nearby clock struck the hour, 3 o’clock in the morning. Jennie slowly stood, stretching to relieve the stiffness that had settled into her joints. She would tell Crutchie of her plan in the morning, but now it was time to go home and get some sleep.

 

~

 

When Crutchie woke the next morning the other side of the bed was still empty, but it looked as though it had been slept in.

 

Crutchie slowly sat up, smiling to himself as he heard Jennie and Faith in the kitchen. Faith was chattering away happily about some innocuous thing, while Jennie made noises of wonderment and understanding at the appropriate places.

 

_ She certainly gets her sharp tongue from her mother  _ Crutchie thought, smiling to himself. His smile quickly faded, however, as he remembered his exchange with Jennie the night before. What if she was still mad at him?

 

“Charlie? Are you awake?” Jennie suddenly called, pulling Crutchie from his thoughts.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute!” he called back, swinging out of bed as he did.

 

When Crutchie entered the kitchen a few minutes later Faith was eating her breakfast and Jennie was cooking more, presumably for herself and him. Her back was to him, and so Crutchie cleared his throat awkwardly to get her attention.

 

“Good morning, Charlie,” Jennie said, turning around and setting a plate of eggs on the table. She looked and sounded rather tired, but otherwise, she was behaving as normal. Crutchie decided to take her cue, and he sat down at the table with a smile.

 

“Papa! Papa look, I finished!” Faith cried happily, gesturing to her empty plate with the fork she gripped tightly in her chubby hand.

 

“So ya did! Good job, darlin’,” Crutchie congratulated. “Ya wanna wash your hands, an’ then pick a picture to color?” For her second birthday, Jack had given Faith a homemade coloring book. She had loved it instantly, and now almost a year later there were only a few drawings left to be colored.

 

“Okay!” Faith chirped, setting her fork down and running over to the sink. Jennie helped her wash her hands since she was still too short to reach the faucet, and Crutchie felt his heart swell with love as he watched them.

 

“Charlie? Can I talk to you for a minute?” Crutchie blinked, slowly floating back down to Earth. Faith was now gone, having apparently run off to the other room, and it was just him and Jennie.

 

His heart pounding, Crutchie nodded. Jennie sat down across from him, reaching across the table to take one of his hands. She regarded him with a tender look. “I forgive you, Charlie.”

 

Those words broke Crutchie. He bowed his head as tears began to stream down his face, tears of both relief and guilt. “I’m sorry, so sorry. I should never have lied to ya.”

 

“It’s alright. I understand why you felt you had to,” Jennie soothed him, rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand. “But… there are still a few things we need to settle.”

 

Crutchie sniffled and nodded, swiping at his eyes with his free hand. “Yeah.”

 

“One of us needs to be working,” Jennie started. She had rehearsed this speech in her head while cooking breakfast, and she spoke slowly and deliberately. “We don’t know how long it will take you to find another job, and we need money.”

 

“I can find work Jennie, I promise,” Crutchie protested, but Jennie held up a hand to stop him.

 

“I don’t doubt that. And what I’m planning will only be temporary.” Jennie took a deep breath. “I’m going to go and find a job in a factory today. It will pay enough for now, and they’re almost always hiring.”

 

“But… what about me?”

 

This was what Jennie had feared saying most. “You’ll have to stay home with Faith for now. You can look for job openings in the newspaper, and you can go out whenever I have a day off.”

 

Crutchie looked back down at his hands. He didn’t say a word, but it was clear he was hurt by this.

 

“Charlie, I’m sorry. But I don’t want to ask our friends for charity, and I know you don’t either, so this is the only solution for now,” Jennie tried to explain.

 

“Okay,” Crutchie finally said, his voice soft and distant. “Well… you’d better get goin’ then. Go find a job.”

 

Jennie hesitated. “Will you be alright?”

 

“Yes.” Crutchie’s voice was suddenly hard with anger. “Go. I don’ wanna stop ya.”

 

Jennie stared at Crutchie for a moment longer, then slowly stood up and left the table.

 

~

 

“Do ya know what that word is?”

 

“Um… cat!”

 

“That’s right! Cat!” Crutchie grinned, turning to the next page of the book. Faith was sitting in his lap, and they were reading through one of her favorite books. It was the late afternoon, almost evening.

 

“An’ this is…” Crutchie trailed off, pointing at the picture on the page and waiting for Faith to fill in the blank.

 

“Dat’s a… a… I dunno Papa!” Faith exclaimed, her face so twisted with concentration that Crutchie felt like laughing out loud.

 

“It’s a mouse, darlin’,” he supplied. “A mouse in a house.”

 

“Mouse!” Faith repeated happily.

 

Crutchie smiled at her and turned the page to continue when he heard the front door open, followed by the unmistakable click of Jennie’s best shoes on the wooden floor.

 

“Mama!” Faith cried, launching herself out of Crutchie’s lap and causing him to grunt at the sudden movement.

 

“Hello, sweetheart!” Jennie smiled at Faith as she appeared in the doorway to the parlor, scooping Faith into her arms and hugging her close. “Did you and Papa have fun today?”

 

“Yeah!” Faith nodded, burrowing her face in Jennie’s neck. “We read and we colored!”

 

“How exciting!” Jennie glanced over at Crutchie, who was still sitting on the sofa. He had fallen oddly silent since she had walked in. She turned back to Faith. “How about you put your book away, and then you can help me make dinner?”

 

“Okay!” Faith agreed immediately, wriggling out of Jennie’s arms and running into her room.

 

Crutchie stood up, leaning a little more heavily on his crutch than normal, and made to follow her. “I’ll go see that she don’t get into too much trouble.”

 

“Don’t you want to know what happened?”

 

Crutchie stopped. “Didja find a job, then?”

 

Jennie nodded, even though Crutchie’s back was to her. “Yes, I did.”

 

“Where?”

 

“The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the Asch Building. Most of the workers there were young immigrant women, who worked nine hours a day on weekdays and seven hours a day on Saturdays (with Sundays off). They earned between 7 and 12 dollars a week (approximately 191 to 327 dollars a week in today's money).
> 
> Please, feel free to give me feedback on what has happened so far and what you think is going to happen next!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I was not entirely clear about where I was going with the plot point that Jennie works at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in the last chapter. Hopefully, this chapter clears that up.

Jennie’s new job at the Triangle Factory did little to decrease the tension between her and Crutchie; if anything it increased it.

 

Jennie was gone early and came home late most days, meaning Crutchie had to do most of the cooking and cleaning around the house as well as take care of Faith. And on Sundays, the only time they spent together was at church before Crutchie went out looking for a job (a so far unsuccessful endeavor). Jennie knew Crutchie was beginning to feel like a useless burden, but every time she tried to comfort him he refused to listen.

 

As for the factory work itself, the hours were long and Jennie’s pay of six dollars a week would be deducted at the slightest offense. She hated it, longing to be back at home with Faith and Crutchie like before. The only good part of her job was the new friends she had made.

 

On Jennie’s first day of work, she was waiting in line for the elevators, tapping her foot impatiently, when she felt someone grab her wrist. Suddenly, she was being pulled to the front of the line by a young woman even shorter than herself. The young woman pulled her into one of the elevators, grinning triumphantly as the doors closed and the elevator began to descend.

 

“Don’t be afraid to push a little,” she said to Jennie in heavily accented English. “Or else you’ll never get anywhere.”

 

“Thank you,” Jennie said. “I’ll remember that.”

 

“First day?” the woman asked.

 

“How did you know?”

 

The woman smiled knowingly. “You have the same look on your face I did on my first day.” She stuck out her hand for Jennie to shake as the elevator arrived on the first floor of the building. “My name is Miriam, Miriam Abramov.”

 

Jennie smiled at Miriam and shook her hand as they stepped off of the elevator. “Jennie Morris. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Nice to meet you too.” Miriam waved for Jennie to follow her. “Come. I always eat lunch with my friend Sofia in the park across the street. Join us!”

 

Sofia Rossi was a tall young woman who looked to be the same age as Miriam, about 20. She had a fiery personality and a bright, bubbly laugh. Jennie knew she had found true friends almost instantly.

 

~

 

It was mid-November, just after Faith’s third birthday, and Jennie had been working at the factory for a month. It was past lunch, near the end of the day, when Miriam whispered, “Jennie.”

 

Jennie looked up from her sewing machine in surprise, and she looked around to make sure there were no supervisors around. Talking was strictly prohibited, but Miriam wasn’t one to break the rules for no good reason. This must be important. “Yes?”

 

“There’s a meeting tonight, to talk about what to do about going on strike,” Miriam said.

 

Jennie knew as well as anyone how awful the conditions in the factories were, and she knew that there had been many meetings held lately to discuss what to do about it. Sofia often told her and Miriam of the latest news when they met on their lunch breaks.

 

“Really?”

 

Miriam nodded, dropping her voice even lower and speaking quickly to avoid getting caught talking. “Everyone will be there. Sofia says she’s going, and I’m going with her. Will you come with us?”

 

Jennie quickly weighed her options. She supported the movement, but at the same time, she and Crutchie badly needed the money she was making at the factory. Jennie also knew how quickly strikes could go wrong- you didn’t marry the best friend of two former strike leaders and remain ignorant about that sort of thing for long.

 

“I’ll ask my husband about it,” she finally decided. “And is it alright if I bring one of my other friends along too?”

 

“Of course,” Miriam said. “The more of us, the better.”

 

~

 

“No. Absolutely not.”  


“Charlie, nothing’s been decided yet! This is just a meeting.”

 

“A meetin’ to vote about if ya should go on strike!” Crutchie protested. “An’ from what I’se heard, it’s pretty likely everyone is gonna vote yes.”

 

“Even if they do, I still might not go on strike. I’m just going to support my friends,” Jennie tried to reason. “Besides, Katherine said she’d go with me.”

 

“Katherine?” Crutchie exclaimed in disbelief. “You’se gonna drag one of our best friends, who has a 6-month-old baby an’ a toddler, into this?”

 

“She was happy to go! She and Jack both said it would be fine!” Jennie cried. “It’s just a meeting, Charlie. Just a meeting.”

 

“It ain’t ‘just a meetin’!” Crutchie’s accent was getting thicker, as it always did when he was particularly angry. “It’s a meetin’ which could lead to ya goin’ on strike, which could lead to ya gettin’ arrested, which could lead to ya sittin’ broken an’ bruised in a prison somewhere!” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Damnit Jennie, you’se got a family to think about. Don’t we mean nothin’ to ya?”

 

“Of course you do.” Jennie’s voice was low and quiet. “And I won’t do anything without talking to you first. But I just need to see what this is about.”

 

Crutchie looked at Jennie for a long moment, his eyes full of an emotion she couldn’t quite place. Then he quickly crossed the room and enveloped Jennie in a bone-crushing hug. Jennie grunted in surprise, but she quickly melted into his embrace. It had been weeks since Crutchie had shown her this kind of affection, and she welcomed it.

 

“Come home safe,” he whispered in her ear.

 

~

 

“Miriam! Sofia!” Jennie cried, quickening her pace as she caught sight of them outside the hall.

 

“Jennie!” They both waved back, smiling as Jennie strode up to them with Katherine following close behind.

 

“We are glad you came,” Sofia said. She looked over at Katherine. “Is this the friend you spoke about?”

 

“I believe I am.” Katherine grinned at both of the women, offering her hand and shaking both of theirs firmly. “Katherine Plumber. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Plumber? The reporter?” Miriam asked, a little disbelievingly.

 

“Guilty.” Katherine held up her notepad sheepishly. “Jennie invited me here to cover the meeting.”

 

Sofia looked at Jennie incredulously. “My friend, you are full of surprises.”

 

~

 

The meeting was lively, the hall absolutely packed with young women. Katherine scribbled away on her notepad for most of it, noting what each of the speakers had said. Jennie, Miriam, and Sofia also listened intently.

 

Jennie was surprised to see that most of the speakers so far had been men and that they had all cautioned the women to not strike. She wasn’t sure what exactly it was that she had expected, but it wasn’t this.

 

After hours of listening to speeches, yet another man stood at the podium. This man, however, was cheered wildly by the crowd as he began to speak.

 

“That’s Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor,” Katherine said in response to Jennie’s unspoken question. “He’s the star of this meeting.”

 

“Star or not, I’d like to hear a woman speak,” Sofia grumbled, but she fell silent and listened to what he had to say anyway.

 

When Mr. Gompers had delivered his address, the crowd once again began to cheer as he exited the stage. Jennie had to admit, it had been an impressive speech.

 

“Surely we will vote now,” Miriam remarked. “We’ve been here for hours.”

 

“I don’t think so, not yet,” Katherine replied. “Look, someone else is getting up to speak.”

 

Sure enough, another man was standing at the podium. He wasn’t more than a minute into his speech, however, when there was a loud cry in a language Jennie recognized as Yiddish from the side of the stage.

 

A young woman marched up to the podium, looking extremely determined.

 

“That’s Clara Lemlich,” Miriam said as the woman began to speak, once again in Yiddish.

 

“What’s she saying?” Katherine asked, scribbling frantically on her notepad.

 

“I have no further patience for talk as I am one of those who feels and suffers from the things pictured,” Miriam translated. “I move that we go on a general strike… now!”

 

The crowd hollered and cheered their approval, and Jennie looked around with a bemused smile on her face. She turned to Katherine. “I guess we’re going on strike.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On November 22nd, 1909, a meeting was convened by the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) to discuss a general strike. The workers wanted a 20 percent pay raise, a 52 hour work week, and extra pay for overtime. At the end of the meeting, 19-year-old Clara Lemlich (a union organizer) really did march up to the stage and address the crowd in Yiddish, urging them to vote to go on strike. The workers then voted to go on strike, and over the course of the next two days over 20,000 workers from 500 different factories walked out of their jobs and went on strike. This became known as "The Uprising of 20,000."
> 
> Miriam and Sofia are both my own OCs, but their backgrounds represent the backgrounds of the majority of the workers at the Triangle Factory (Jewish and Italian immigrants).
> 
> Jack and Katherine's second child, Clara Elizabeth Kelly, was born in May of 1909.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos on this chapter, and tell me what you thought of it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me a little longer to write than the other ones, but I'm happy with how it turned out in the end. I hope everyone enjoys it!

“You got everythin’?”

 

Jennie nodded. “Yes, Charlie. I have everything.”

 

“Good.” Crutchie smiled tightly. “Well then. I’ll see ya tonight?”

 

“Yes,” Jennie confirmed. “And you’ll pick up Faith from Jack and Katherine’s this evening?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Then… I think that’s everything.” Jennie smiled at Crutchie, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. “Have a good day.”

 

“You too,” Crutchie said. “An’ keep outta trouble, ya hear?”

 

“I will,” Jennie said reassuringly. “I promise.”

 

~

 

As Jennie made her way towards the Triangle Factory that morning, her mind returned to Crutchie. When she had told him she wanted to go on strike with all the others, he hadn’t said anything. Instead, he had silently exited the apartment and gone to stay with Jack for the night (Jennie knew this because Katherine had sent her a message telling her Crutchie was with them so that she wouldn’t worry about him).

 

Jennie didn’t know what had happened that night, or what Jack had said to Crutchie, but the next morning Crutchie had told her he thought she should go on strike. He would drop Faith off at Jack and Katherine’s as well so that he could spend the day looking for a job. With Jennie on strike, they wouldn’t have her paycheck to rely on anymore.

 

Jennie was more grateful than she could express to Crutchie for supporting her in striking. She knew how hard it was for him to let her go, what with his own past experiences. Over the course of their six years of marriage, he had told her some of what had happened to him in the Refuge, though not all of it. Jennie doubted he ever would, in all honesty, some things were just too painful to relive.

 

When Jennie, at last, arrived at her destination, she saw instantly that this was to be an exciting day. The streets were crowded with strikers and policemen, all shouting various things at each other.

 

Keeping her head down and walking quickly, as Crutchie had instructed her to do, Jennie made her way to the front of the Asch Building, where she was supposed to meet Miriam and Sofia.

 

Sure enough, Miriam and Sofia were standing just outside the building. Jennie hurried over to them, a grin spreading across her face as the anxiety she had been feeling was replaced with excitement.

 

“Jennie! You’re here!” Sofia cried happily. “I am so glad.”   
  


“I am too,” Miriam chimed in. “It will be more fun with you here.”   
  


“I’m glad to be here, too,” Jennie said. “Now, what are we supposed to do?”

 

“Convince other girls to join us,” Sofia replied. “But we can’t shout bad words at them, or touch them at all. The police will arrest us at the slightest thing.”

 

“I see.” Jennie nodded in understanding, though her heart clenched at Sofia’s words. She prayed she wouldn’t be arrested, after all, she had promised Crutchie she would take care of herself.

 

“Come on, let’s get started.” Miriam’s eyes shone with excitement as she spoke. “We must stand up for ourselves, and encourage others to do the same!”

 

Miriam and Sofia’s excitement was infectious, and Jennie soon forgot her own worries as the day went on.

 

~

 

“Papa!” Faith cried happily as Crutchie entered Jack and Katherine’s apartment that evening, running over to greet him.

 

“Hello, my sunshine!” Crutchie replied, sweeping Faith up into a big hug. “How was your day?”

 

“Fun! We drawed pictures!”

 

“Drew pictures, sweetheart,” Katherine gently corrected as she walked up to Faith and Crutchie with Clara in her arms. “You and Eddie drew pictures.”

 

“Ya did, huh? Can I see ‘em?” Crutchie asked.

 

“Yeah!” Faith wriggled out of Crutchie’s arms and bounded off to the other room.

 

“She’s a firecracker. Eddie too,” Katherine remarked. “I definitely had my hands full today.”

 

“Not too full?” Crutchie asked. “We wouldn’t wanna be any trouble for ya.”

 

“Oh no, not at all,” Katherine reassured him. “I still got plenty of work done. And Jack will look after them tomorrow. You know how good he is at keeping them under control.”

 

“Actually…” Crutchie’s face broke out in a grin before he could stop it. “I don’t think Faith’ll be spendin’ the day with you tomorrow.”

 

“Oh?” Katherine looked confused. “Why not?”

 

“Well… I wasn’t gonna say anythin’ ‘till I talked to Jennie tonight, but what the hell? I got a job!” Crutchie exclaimed.

 

Katherine gasped. “Really? Oh, that’s great!” She pulled Crutchie in for as much of a hug as she could manage while still holding Clara. “I’m so happy for you. I know these past months have been hard on you and Jennie both, so I’m glad everything’s worked out!”

 

“Thanks, Katherine.” Crutchie smiled at her. “You an’ Jack have both been so helpful with everythin’ goin’ on lately… we couldn’t have managed without ya. Thanks so much for everythin’.”

 

“Of course, Crutchie.” Katherine grinned back. “We’re your friends, and this is what friends do.”

 

~

 

“Join us! The bosses can only beat us if we don’t stand together!” Jennie shouted, trying desperately to get the attention of a young woman exiting the Asch Building, with no luck. Sighing heavily, she turned to see how Miriam and Sofia were doing.

 

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back. Jennie yelped, trying to see who her attacker was.

 

“You’re under arrest, for disturbing the peace,” a policeman snarled in her ear as he began to drag her towards a waiting police wagon.

 

“Sofia! Miriam!” Jennie cried, trying to get her friends’ attention. They didn’t hear her, however, as they were farther down the street.

 

Tears began to pool in Jennie’s eyes as she realized what was happening. The wagon loomed in front of her, already crowded with other young women. Jennie’s breathing sped up. Spots appeared before her eyes, and before she knew what was happening she had fainted.

 

~   
  


Crutchie was just about to leave Jack and Katherine’s apartment with Faith when someone knocked on the door. Katherine went to answer it, frowning slightly. “I wonder who that is. Jack wouldn’t knock, and we aren’t expecting anyone.”

 

When Katherine opened the door two young women were standing just outside it, breathing heavily as if they had just been running.

 

“Sofia? Miriam? What on Earth are you doing here?” Katherine asked. “Is Jennie with you?”

 

“No,” Sofia said breathlessly. “That is the problem.”

 

“I don’t understand, what’s going on?”

 

“Jennie’s been arrested, Miss Plumber,” Miriam explained. “She’s in jail.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The strike was a very violent one, and many women were arrested or beaten for the slightest things.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos on this story, and tell me what you think of it so far!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the bit of a wait with this, but here is the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy this.

Jennie came to in the back of the police wagon, surrounded by other women. A few of them glanced at her curiously, but no one spoke. Most looked ashamed, and two were even crying.

 

As Jennie’s eyes adjusted to the dark interior of the wagon, she slowly pushed herself up onto one of the benches built into the side of it. Breathing deeply, Jennie silently cursed. She had been an idiot thinking going on strike was a good idea, and now she was paying for it.

 

The wagon suddenly lurched to a stop, and the back door was thrown open. Jennie blinked at the sudden burst of daylight, then shivered as the cold winter air seeped into her bones.

 

“Come on, out you get,” a policeman ordered, his voice gruff. Another man began to pull women out of the carriage, pinning their arms behind their backs to prevent anyone from trying to escape.

 

Jennie and the others were soon tossed into a holding cell in the basement of the police station, already crowded with other people. There was hardly room to sit down, but Jennie managed to find a small corner to settle herself in. With no way to get word to Crutchie or anyone else for that matter, she had no choice but to wait and see what happened.

 

~

 

“Please, sir, I’m beggin’ ya. Just tell me where my wife is!”

 

The policeman behind the desk looked bored. “Like I told ya, I don’t know. What with everythin’ happenin’ all over the city, we’re swamped.” He held up the large ledger in front of him for emphasis. “Now, if you could tell me anythin’ at all about the policemen you say arrested her, then maybe I could help ya.”

 

Crutchie looked over at Miriam and Sofia hopefully. “You didn’t happen to see her get arrested, did you?”

 

Miriam glanced at Sofia, then shook her head regretfully. “No, we didn’t see anything. We only heard about it later, from another girl who was nearby when it happened.”

 

Crutchie groaned, rubbing his forehead. “Great. Just great.”

 

~

 

The next morning, Jennie was awakened by the door to her cell clanging open. A policeman stepped inside. “Jennie Morris?”

 

Jennie quickly stood up, brushing off her skirt. “That’s me.”

 

The policeman nodded. “Follow me, miss.”

 

Jennie was taken to a courtroom, along with several other women. He heart thudded as she looked around at all the polished wood furniture, and the judge seated behind the bench. She was in real trouble now.

 

When Jennie’s name was finally called, she was led up to the judge. He glared down at her through a pair of spectacles, looking extremely disapproving.

 

“So, Miss Morris. It seems you have decided to take part in this foolish strike.”

 

Jennie said nothing, only bowed her head.

 

“I won’t lie to you, I find your actions most offensive. Grown women, parading in the street. And for what? You have good jobs, fair wages.” He shook his head. “A waste.”

 

Jennie’s stomach twisted, and she had to bite down on her cheek to keep from speaking. Anger would only get her into more trouble.

 

“I sentence you to a fine of ten dollars, or a week in the workhouse,” the judge declared, his tone ominous.

 

Jennie’s head spun.  _ Ten dollars?  _ She didn’t have that kind of money just lying around, much less in her pocket!

 

“I…” Jennie’s voice cracked. She cleared her throat and lifted her head to look at the judge. “I don’t have ten dollars.”

 

“I do.”

 

Jennie spun around as a voice rang clear and strong behind her, and she could have cried in relief. Katherine was there, along with Miriam, Sofia, and-

 

“Charlie!”

 

Crutchie grinned at Jennie, looking as though he wanted to knock down everyone in that courtroom and run to her right then, but he remained composed.

 

Katherine continued to speak. “I’ll pay the fine, Your Honor. Gladly.”

 

The judge looked back and forth between Jennie and her rescue party, then finally nodded. “Very well.” He banged his gavel. “Next case.”   
  


~

 

“I can’t thank you enough. All of you,” Jennie declared, holding tightly to Crutchie’s arm as they walked home. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”   
  


“We were happy to help,” Katherine said, smiling kindly. “And before you say anything, I don’t want any reimbursement for the fine. Consider it an early Christmas gift.”

 

“That’s really too kind, Katherine,” Jennie protested. “We can’t accept something so generous.”

 

“Of course you can,” Katherine replied. “I’m your friend. This is what friends do.”

 

“It’s still too much-”

 

“Oh, be quiet and let her do something nice for you,” Sofia interjected. “We would all do the same in a heartbeat if we could.”

 

“She’s right,” Miriam agreed. “I’ve only known you a short time, but I’d do all I could to help you. I promise.”

 

Jennie looked down at her feet, blinking back tears of emotion. “Thank you,” she whispered.

 

The rest of the walk home was silent, Miriam and Sofia both eventually peeling off from the group to go back to their own apartments. Katherine, however, walked all the way to Crutchie and Jennie’s apartment with them, since she and Jack lived slightly farther uptown.

 

“I know we both sound like parrots at this point, but thank ya again,” Crutchie said, giving Katherine a quick hug. “I don’t know how we would ‘a gotten through all this without you an’ Jack.”   
  


“No thanks needed,” Katherine said. “I was happy to help.” She turned to Jennie. “But maybe try not to get arrested again?”   
  


Jennie laughed, though the sound had a slight edge to it. “I’ll try my best.”

 

“Good.” Katherine gave them both a small wave. “Well, I should get back home. I’ll see you both soon, hopefully.”

 

“See ya, Katherine,” Crutchie called after her. He turned to Jennie. “Wanna go inside?”

 

Jennie hesitated. “In a moment,” she said. “I just… I have something to ask you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Do you… do you want me to go back to work now?” Jennie looked up at Crutchie. “I know I can’t go back to the strike, that wouldn’t be fair to you and Faith, but… do you want me to go back to the Triangle?”

 

“No.” There wasn’t the slightest hesitation or hint of doubt in Crutchie’s voice. “You don’t gotta go back there. Unless you want to, of course.”

 

“I don’t.” Jennie leaned into Crutchie more. “But how will we make ends meet?”

 

Crutchie sighed. “I was gonna tell ya later when you’d had time to rest an’ recover.” He smiled slightly. “But I’ve already told Jack an’ Katherine, so I should tell you now. I got a job.”

 

Jennie gasped. “Really? Oh, Charlie, that’s wonderful! Where?”

 

“This bank, the Fifth Avenue Bank,” Crutchie said. “Still workin’ as a clerk, but the pay’s better than before.”

 

“I’m so happy for you, Charlie,” Jennie said. “For both of us.”

 

“Thanks, Jennie.” Crutchie leaned down and kissed Jennie deeply. “I’m sorry it took so long.”

 

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Jennie reassured him. “Nothing at all.” She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Now, come on. Let’s go inside before we both catch our death.”

 

Crutchie chuckled. “Good idea.” He took Jennie’s hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. “Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Fifth Avenue Bank was a real bank in New York at that time. It was actually one of the first banks to have a row of teller windows just for women to use. Admittedly I don't know for sure if they employed clerks, but seeing as they were a bank I assume they did.
> 
> The next story I write for Jennie and Crutchie will also be multiple chapters, and I think it will be the end of this series. Don't worry, though, I am planning to include them in other stories I write in the future. They won't be completely gone. Miriam and Sofia might make some cameos as well, depending on what I decide to do with them.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments and kudos and feel free to tell me what you think of this so far! It motivates me to write more.


End file.
